Several athletes were axed, while a weightlifter has been added to the Road to Gold (RTG) roster, as Malaysia’s race to win the elusive gold at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics hots up.
The room on the first floor of Casa 1 at the National Sports Council (NSC) was packed with members of the press, where the RTG committee had earlier met to make some crucial decisions that would leave some heartbroken.
An easy way out would be to solely concentrate on the nation’s three prospect podium finishes: badminton, cycling, and diving. This is based on the performance of the national athletes, against their competition, abroad. Some feel that the current investment would be a waste on those who make the cut, only to be dropped several months down the line.
However, there are those who insist that a strong message must be sent out to the athletes, to not take their place in the programme for granted.
The RTG committee went on record to say that it did not want to be seen favouring any particular sport, with the programme’s co-chair Hannah Yeoh, who is also the Youth and Sports Minister, saying: “We want to give our athletes an equal chance of winning gold”. The committee will also be meeting regularly to evaluate the athletes, with the next meeting scheduled in four weeks’ time to discuss a number of issues, including their mental strength, among others.
Doubles shuttlers Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, and the men’s hockey team, were dropped, while weightlifter Mohammad Aniq Kasdan was the fresh face included in the programme – a “top up” service to the existing Podium Programme – a programme dedicated to the nation’s elite athletes. Sailor Nur Shazrin Latif and shooter Jonathan Wong, despite making the cut for next year’s Summer Games, were not considered to be part of the RTG programme, but would receive allowances under the Olympic Incentive Scheme, in addition to the ongoing support from the National Sports Council and the National Sports Institute.
The committee made the decisions, citing the shuttlers’ drop in rankings, since the Olympic qualifiers started in May. The men’s hockey team’s expulsion was expected, following their failure to win the gold medal at the recent Asian Games, which would have secured them a slot in the Paris Games. Instead, the national team are now ranked 12 in the world, and will have to prove their mettle in the qualifying tournaments in Muscat, Oman (Jan 15-21) or in Valencia, Spain (Jan 13-21), in order to make the cut for the Summer Games en route to returning to the RTG.
Programme coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalingam said those dropped would be reinstated if their performance improved.
Aniq’s inclusion came following a request by the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation, as he is now placed 10th in the Olympic ranking. Being 21, he is seen as having a “huge potential” in improving his personal best of 291kg in the 61kg event. For the record, the bronze medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics lifted 294kg.
The meeting discussed five main issues:
- Overall expenditure for the RTG programme
- Progress and status of the athletes under the existing roster
- Nomination of athletes into the programme following their gold medal efforts at the recent Asian Games
- Athletes who have qualified for the 2024 Olympics; and
- Inclusion of squash in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
According to Stuart, the RTG committee has spent some “50 per cent” of the RM5 million the programme had received earlier this year. No breakdown of the money spent was provided. The programme is set to receive an additional RM20 million if the recently tabled 2024 Budget is approved.
Some had anticipated that squash would immediately be made a part of the RTG programme. NSC board member Alan Ling was even quoted by the Borneo Post, saying he believed that “squash will be listed under the programme” before the committee met today.
Instead, Datuk Nicol Ann David – who also sits in the RTG committee – has been tasked to oversee the process of getting squash in the RTG programme, as the criteria for the ‘wall bashers’ would naturally be different, given that they will only compete in 2028.
Also raised in the meeting was the fact that Lee Zii Jia has yet to sign the commitment agreement, the only athlete within the programme who has yet to do so.
“We have reached out (to Lee) via several avenues … we will continue to engage so that he understands that it’s important.
“(He’s) Never been able to attend any meeting (with the RTG committee) since he is busy. But now that he is back, hopefully, he will make time before the Nov 14 deadline.”
Lee remains on the list, and despite not having signed the agreement, Stuart said he has enjoyed two sports science sessions, but stressed that the shuttler has not received any other perks or allowances.
RTG athletes (latest list)
Aaron Chia (badminton)
Soh Wooi Yik (badminton)
Pearly Tan (badminton)
M. Thinaah (badminton)
Chen Tang Jie (badminton)
Toh Ee Wei (badminton)
Ng Tze Yong (badminton)
Lee Zii Jia (badminton)
Ong Yew Sin (badminton)
Teo Ee Yi (badminton)
Datuk Azizulhasni Awang (cycling)
Shah Firdaus Sahrom (cycling)
Datuk Pandelela Rinong (diving)
Nur Dhabitah Sabri (diving)
Mohammad Aniq Kasdan (weightlifting)
